PM meeting with Polish PM Ewa Kopacz

The Prime Minister started the day in Poland with a working breakfast with Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz at the Palace on the Water in Warsaw’s Lazienki park.

Their talks were dominated by the Prime Minister’s plans to reform the EU and renegotiate the UK relationship. The PM set out the main areas of concern for the British people and they talked these through.

There was much they could agree on – making Europe more competitive by strengthening the single market, cutting back red tape, ensuring fairness between euro-ins and euro-outs and more subsidiarity, respecting the sovereignty of member states.

On immigration and welfare, Prime Minister Kopacz welcomed the PM’s commitment to respect the principle of free movement. They agreed that there were issues concerning the interaction between free movement and national welfare systems that should be discussed further.

Prime Minister Kopacz emphasised that Poland valued the UK’s membership of the EU and said that she hoped they could work together in a positive spirit to keep Britain in.

Finally, they discussed the situation in eastern Ukraine on which they have both stood together at the European Council to ensure a firm EU response to Russia. They agreed that the EU’s existing sanctions must remain in force until the Minsk agreements are fully implemented.